Jami Watson, 29, of Hosford and a former employee for the Tax Collector's Office, has been charged with three counts of grand theft and 34 counts of petit theft, totaling $3,434.06.

Watson, who turned herself in at the Gadsden County Jail March 18, was charged following an audit after a taxpayer informed the tax office of errors in their payment. The three counts of grand theft were for amounts totaling $300 or more and petit theft is less than $300.

Investigators with the Gadsden County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics and Vice Unit say the county is becoming what they feared 2 years ago: a place where methamphetamine is rampantly manufactured and consumed.

Since January, at least five meth labs have been identified, and the contents of each confiscated and arrests made.

On the heels of a school bus crash that took the life of 17-year-old West Gadsden High School student De’Sherrime “Dee Dee” Murray, a Chattahoochee group has presented a list of demands to the Gadsden County School District’s leadership.

Lenora Montgomery, representing the Chattahoochee Concerned Citizens for Change, addressed the school board last week, presenting the group’s “letter of demands.”

"Quincy Beautiful" will be the downtown slogan if Quincy city commissioners accept a proposal presented March 23 by Charles Hayes, director of the Community Redevelopment Agency. The 3-year beautification and revitalization plan includes everything from signage to a 40-acre park.

The Gadsden County Complete County Committee and the Census Bureau welcomes you to be a part of the March to the Mailbox event, scheduled for April 10, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Gadsden County Courthouse Square.

The event is designed to increase census participation in the county. Rural counties such as Gadsden have been historically under-represented in the census. Census numbers determine the distribution of more than $400 billion of federal funds nationwide.

A 54-year-old Quincy woman, Julia Jackson, was arrested and charged with grand theft by misappropriating funds from a nonprofit organization. The organization is the Gadsden County daycare on Fourth Street in Quincy.

Jackson, who was director at the center, is alleged to have taken money by transferring some funds electronically into her personal account.

Gadsden County has not joined Leon, Wakulla, Liberty and Franklin counties challenging the Northwest Florida Management District and the city of Tallahassee concerning the city's Corn Hydrolelectric Facility Spillway Modification Project. The counties had requested an administative hearing on the construction permit. The facility is a Tallahassee operated facility but is located on the Gadsden County side of Lake Talquin.

The city of Quincy will have no municipal election April 27. The two incumbents for city commission, Angela Sapp and Finley Cook, are unopposed.

Gretna has two seats and Chattahoochee has three contested seats. In Gretna, Clarence Jackson is opposing incumbent John E. Smith for Seat 1, and Jeff McNealy has challenged Willie C. Fagg for Seat 3.

In Chattahoochee, Annette Bates is challenging Catherine Harvey in District 1, Susan Blume is opposing John N. Neely in District 3, and James Glass is going up against incumbent Jerry Wynn for the at-large seat.

Officials from the U.S. Census Bureau are warning local residents: don’t be fooled when it comes to fake census forms or contact from individuals claiming to be census workers.

If you are contacted by someone claiming to be a census worker, and that person requests information such as user names, passwords, or Social Security, bank account or credit card numbers, do not surrender your information.